Single form marriage license bill passes Senate

FRANKFORT – County clerks in the Commonwealth of Kentucky will soon have a new single marriage license form for couples seeking to get married.

Senate Bill 216, sponsored by Sen. Morgan McGarvey, D-Louisville, was passed by the Senate 35-0 and the now goes to Gov. Matt Bevin for his signature.

The bill authorizes a new single form which applicants can list themselves as bride, groom or spouse, differing from the initial plan to create two separate forms, one for opposite sex and one for same sex couples.

McGarvey said the bill had bipartisan support and is a common sense approach to solving the issue which came to a head when Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis, and a few other clerks, failed to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples because it was against firmly held religious beliefs.

“This is a common sense compromise,” McGarvey said. “You’ve got one marriage form now instead of two, and, of course, the advantage of one marriage form is that it’s more efficient, it’s less expensive, and it treats everyone equally.”

McGarvey said that the compromise legislation is a win-win for all parties involves.

“We’re going to take the clerks out of the marriage business,” McGarvey said. “They don’t have to ask people when they come in, what form to you want? They get one form.”

The legislation had the endorsement of the Kentucky Association of County Clerks and Gov. Matt Bevin.

Don Weber

Don Weber is a Video Journalist for Spectrum News and covers politics and education on Pure Politics, Kentucky’s only nightly program dedicated to state politics. Don is a lifelong Kentuckian and a graduate of Northern Kentucky University. He spent many years covering sports in the Northern Kentucky area before shifting primarily to politics. You can watch Don’s work weeknights at 7:00 and 11:30 on Pure Politics, available exclusively on Spectrum News, HD Channels 403 and 715. If you have a story idea you can reach Don at donald.weber@charter.com.